Real Madrid will clash heads with Liverpool at Stade de France on Saturday night, hoping to produce a positive result and lift their fourteenth Champions League title. The Reds will be heading into the contest on the back of a 3-1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, whereas the Los Blancos recorded a 0-0 stalemate with Real Betis on May 21.
Team News
Liverpool
There are outside chances of Thiago Alcantara being available for the trip to France, but it remains doubtful if he’ll be able to play for the full 90 minutes.
“I only met him inside, there’s a good chance. It’s surprisingly good. The good news overnight was that it was not that bad. He could be able to train tomorrow.” – Jurgen Klopp revealed.
Apart from that, both Fabinho and Joe Gomez should be fit for the final clash.
Real Madrid
David Alaba’s adductor injury kept him out of the final league match against Real Betis on Friday, but the Austrian defender has re-joined his teammates for training and could be declared fit for the clash with Liverpool.
Marcelo remains doubtful with a small physical problem, but Carlo Ancelotti assured the fans that he would be fine for the match.
“Marcelo has a small physical problem but will be fine, motivation is huge.” – The gaffer stated.
Talking Tactics
Jurgen Klopp will probably opt for the 4-3-3 formation with several tweaks from the last game. In midfield, Fabinho might get the nod over Naby Keita, whereas Virgil van Dijk looks likely to make his way back into the starting eleven. It’s the same formation for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, with David Alaba featuring at the heart of the defence.
It would be interesting to see how Klopp organizes his high defensive line amid the threats posed by Luka Modric’s outrageous passing range and Vinicius Junior’s frightening pace in attack. Whether the German would be able to take control of the match by aggressive pressing remains another point of uncertainty. Not that they haven’t done it before, but things are different when it comes to Real Madrid – the La Liga giants take pleasure fighting for anarchy. However, Real Madrid’s defence hasn’t been as reliable this season, so the Reds would hope to capitalize on that via the trio of Luis Diaz, Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah. On the other hand, the men in white would try to dominate the midfield proceedings and make their chances count through Karim Benzema, who has been in exceptional form in front of the goal this season.
Predicted Lineups
Liverpool: Alisson; Robertson, van Dijk, Matip, Trent; Fabinho, Thiago, Henderson; Diaz, Mane; Salah
Real Madrid: Courtois; Mendy, Alaba, Militao, Carvajal; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Vinicius, Benzema, Valverde
Prediction
Real Madrid 2-1 Liverpool
